Apparatus for wood distillation



No. 751,698. PATENTED'FBB. 9,11904.

J. W. SPURLOCK. APPARATUS FOR WOOD DISTILLATION.

APPLIUATION FILED 0012.12. 1903.

@K @MM No. aereos.

JOHN WV. SPURLOCK,

Patented February 9, 'LL

PATENT OFFICE.-

OF TYTY, GEORGIA.

APPARATUS FOR WOOD DISTILLATION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,698, dated February9, 1904.

Application tiled October 12, 1903.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN IV. SrURLooK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Tyty, in the county of forth and State of Georgia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for IVoodDistillation; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in apparatusfor wood distillation.

The object of my invention is to improve and simplify the constructionand operation of apparatus of this character, and thereby render themmore efficient in use.

`With this and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts,as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in theappended claim.

The figure in the accompanying drawing is a diagrammatical sectionthrough my improved apparatus for distilling creosote, spirits ofturpentine, tar, te., from pine and other woods.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, 1 denotes a retort, preferablycylindrical in form, mounted in a furnace 2 and provided with afilling-opening 3 and a removal-opening 4. Pine-knots or other resinouswoods to be distilled are deposited in the retort through the opening 3,and the coke after distillation is removed through the opening 4. Theseopenings are both covered by steam or vapor tight closures to preventthe escape of the vapors arising' from the wood when the tire upon thefurnace-grate heats the retort.

5 denotes a pipe tapped into the lower end of the retort and extendingthrough the furnacewall and then downwardly into a tank or container 6,in which its lower open end is sealed by the liquid contained in saidtank. In starting the apparatus said pipe is sealed with water toprevent the escape of vapor; but as soon as the process gets under waythe liquid tar, which is drawn from the wood by the heat, passes throughthe pipe 5 into the tank 6, where it is collected.

7 denotes a pipe tapped into the upper end Serial. No. 176,721. (Nomodel.)

of the retort and extending through the furnace-wall and thendownwardly, as at 8, its lower portion "having a return-bend 9, whichforms a liquid seal for its open end l0, which discharges into a tank orcontainer 1l. rlhe pipe 9 has a filling connection 9', closed by a cap9. The vapors arising' from the heated wood in the retort and passingout through the pipe 7 contain crcosote which, requiring a high degreeof temperature to be kept in the form of vapor, will condense in thepipes 7 and 8 and pass through the liquid seal 9 and pipe l() into theltank ll. The end of the pipe I() is sealed to prevent the escape ofvapor when the apparatus is started by filling' the return-bend 9through the connection 9 with water, which is soon displaced bycreosote.

12 denotes a pipe tapped into the pipe 8 and discharging into the ripperportion of a closed separator box or receptacle 13, in which the vaporwhich is not condensed in the pipes 7 and 8 circulates and deposits anyforeign matter which it may contain. By permitting the vapor tocirculate and lag in this receptacle all of the more easily condensedportion will be deposited and will pass off from said receptacle througha pipe la, tapped into its lower end, while that portion of the vaporwhich contains the spirits of turpentine and oil of tar and which is notso easily condensed will pass out of the receptacle through a pipe l5,tapped into the upper end of the same. rlhe pipe 14 is provided with areturn-bend 16, forming a liquid seal, and has its open end 17discharging into a tank or container 18, which collects the foreignsubstances condensed in the `separator 13.

The pipe l5 is formed with an upwardly" projecting return-bend 19 andthen discharges into a condenser 20 in the form of a series of pipes 2l,connected at their ends to provide a continuous circuitous passage.Tapped into the downwardly-extending arm of the returnbend 19 is a pipe22, which leads from a water-tank 23 or other suitable source ofwatersupply and is provided with a valve 24 for controlling thedischarge of water. The water entering the pipe 15 is prevented frompassing to the separator 13 by the return-bend 19, and hence passes withthe vapor into the condenser 20. In the passage of the water and IOOvapor through the condenser-pipes 2l the vapor is cooled by the waterand condensed into turpentine and oil of tar. The condenser dischargesthrough a pipe 25 into a tank or container 26. The water, which has agreater speciiic gravit-y than the combined turpentine and oil of tar,settles to the bottom of the tank and is drawn off through a cock 27,while the other substances settle on top or' the water and are drawn offthrough a cock 28, disposed above the cock 27. rIhe oil of tar andturpentine may be separated from each other by using' an ordinary still.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the operation and advantages of my invention willbe readily understood.

Having'thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

An apparatus for distilling wood, comprising a retort, a tar-pipeleading from the lower end of said retort, a vapor-pipe leading from theupper end of said retort, a creosote-discharge pipe leading from saidvapor-pipe, a separator connected to said vapor-pipe, a liquid-dischargepipe leading from the bottom of said separator, a series ofcondenser-pipes forming a circuitous passage, a vapor-discharge pipeleading from the upper end of said separator to said condenser-pipes,avalvecontrolled water-discharge pipe tapped into said vapor-dischargepipe below its uppermost point, and a tank or container adapted toreceive the discharge of said condenser-pipes, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses. JOHN W. SPURLOCK.

Witnesses:

R. T. KENNEDY, L. G. YoUMANs.

